The Apology Genre

I got into an argument with the proprietor of a local used book shop the other day. My roommate and I went poking around for old romance novels--those of the bodice-ripper days. We found none. Thinking this was strange, I found the owner and asked where he was keeping them.

She shriveled her lips at me. "I don't carry those books," she sneered.

"Really." I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. "Practicing censorship?"

"Not at all. I just don't read that kind of book."

"Tell me, have you ever read a romance novel?"

"Absolutely not!"

Aha. A literary bigot. They do exist. "It seems silly to me to exclude an entire genre of reading based on what may not be an accurate impression of the genre."

She shrugged. "I don't need to read them. I know what they're all about."

That's the kind of attitude which has gotten books burned on bonfires. It's also gotten people burned at the stake.

I won't go into the gory details of my ensuing dispute with the woman, save to say she displayed a bias against the genre of love which I have found to be alive and well all over. That's bad enough. What makes it worse is the apologetic attitude romance fans then think they need assume. I've seen them in B. Dalton's, I've seen them in Barnes and Noble. They approach the check-out counter with timidity in their eyes. I've seen them on the bus, hiding their books behind purses or newspapers. I've read and heard their academic credentials, as they somehow think this lends validity to their reading selections.

Let me tell you something. I read romance. I read lots of other things, too. The only justification I need is that I enjoy it. I enjoy the transport. That's why I read fiction. Know what? I've never encountered any leery stares or looks of disapproval. I've never been put down by friends and colleagues who detest the genre, simply because they know the me that does the reading. I've also never given anyone any reason for grief (save the woman at the bookstore, but I saw that more as a philosophical issue) by trying to defend my selection of reading material.

Love it or hate it, the romance genre is here to stay. It has been around for as long as man has written. Fiction is preference--it is subjective. It is meant to be enjoyed, not debated in such ways.

There are two sides to this issue: the fans and the foes. To both sides I say, lighten up.

If blind dismissal of an entire genre seems bad, try rattling off an "impressive" (to the foolish, maybe) list of academic and professional credentials as proof of not being the typical romance-reading housewife, sitting home all day with snack cakes in one hand and a novel in the other. The genre can't be justified by the credentials of its fans, and credentials alone do not justify the romance reader.